


A Song For You

by Liza_Taylor



Series: Promptober 2020-Sylbern/Sylvadetta Edition [9]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Artists, F/M, Fluff, Music, October Prompt Challenge, One Shot, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:28:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26912899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liza_Taylor/pseuds/Liza_Taylor
Summary: Sylvain always liked playing in front of the train station for a little extra cash. Recently he noticed something new, a girl drawing the landscape on a nearby bench.Prompt: Music
Relationships: Sylvain Jose Gautier & Bernadetta von Varley, Sylvain Jose Gautier/Bernadetta von Varley
Series: Promptober 2020-Sylbern/Sylvadetta Edition [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947940
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	A Song For You

**Author's Note:**

> This one ended up getting away from me a little bit, I was not expecting it to be as long as it ended up, but hey it works. lol

Sylvain liked playing his guitar in front of the train station. He liked people watching and making up stories in his head about where they were going or were they were in life. Plus, it was always busy so at the end of the day he always ended up with a good amount of change. All and all, a good side gig for a business major on a full scholarship in college who definitely didn’t want to commit to a part time job. His dad was all about Sylvain “learning how the world works” by barely giving him any money to live on.

Well, Sylvain was making it work with his guitar gig and he had even taken to singing a couple songs he wrote as well. Bless the singing lessons he had when he was younger.

Since he was around the train station so often, he was starting to identify the regulars, the ones that were going or coming from work or school. It was interesting to see how they changed day by day, may it be hair style clothing or even an overall demeanor. Those were the ones Sylvain had the most fun with coming up a backstory for.

Recently he had noticed something new. A girl around his age, usually dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans, her purple fluffy hair usually held back by a headband or barrettes. She sat on one of the benches that faced the street, a drawing tablet in hand. For the past week she was always there on the bench, her brow pinched in concentration as she worked on something on her tablet. Sometimes he would leave before she would and sometimes she would arrive after Sylvain had been at the station for almost an hour. She was a consistent presence though and Sylvian began going to the train station more often in order to get a glimpse of her.

His friends had even started to make fun of it and joking about Sylvain going to the train station to see his “girlfriend”. He ignored them, they didn’t get it. Honestly, he could not explain it himself either what made him go back there day after day to glance at a girl while he played. It wasn’t like Sylvain had a difficult time talking to girls. He spent high school jumping from one relationship to the next, sometimes within the same week. He knew what to say to make a girl happy and willing to sleep with him. 

Once college came around, he didn’t really want to be that kind of person anymore and he ended up getting really into playing guitar(he played it on and off during middle and high school to help attract the ladies) and he had to admit he honestly enjoyed playing it for others.

In terms of the purpled haired girl, it felt like if he spoke to her, it would break an unwritten rule between them so he kept quiet and played his guitar, always watching her out of the corner of his eye. He wondered what she was drawing. Was it the same drawing every time or was it different? She faced outwards, towards the city, and Sylvain wondered what she saw in the tall buildings and the roaring cars. He wanted to know but at the same time he knew he couldn’t ask her. He also wondered if she noticed he was there like he noticed her? A few times he caught her glancing in his direction-or was she just looking at the crowd? It was hard to tell, perhaps he was putting too much importance on himself.

After two weeks of this, Sylvain arrived at the train station and saw she wasn’t there yet. Not weird, perhaps she was running late and would come by later. However a couple hours passed and she did not show up.

Perhaps it was an off day, maybe she was busy or sick.

However, over the next week she didn’t show up. Sylvain played at the train station alone, the girl nowhere in sight. Disappointment settled in him as he glanced at the bench and she wasn’t there and then he felt foolish for feeling such a thing. They didn’t know each other or share a single conversation. He shouldn’t feel this attached to someone he doesn’t know.

“Hey, you have a second?”

Sylvain was in the middle of packing up his guitar and he looked up to see a girl, her brown hair wavy and free down her back, her clothes stylish. It was obvious she was the type of girl that knew how to look good and knew she made people stare.

“You’re the guy whose always here playing right?”

“Uh yeah?” Sylvain clipped his guitar case shut and stood.

“Awesome, you mind going to the cafe down the street? My friend has been wanting to talk with you but she was too scared to ask you herself.”

Sylvain bit back a sigh, thinking back to his high school days. A few times a friend of the girl that wanted to date him would ask their friend to ask him out. He couldn’t believe he had to deal with this now. “Listen, I’m not interested.”

The girl’s expression shifted to a frown. “Really? Can’t you spare some time for a quick conversation?”

“Listen, I’m not interested in dating right now alright?”

“Dating?” She scoffed out the word like it was a joke. “I was just asking for a simple conversation. But perhaps it’s best if she doesn’t talk to you then if you’re such an asshole about it.”

“You don’t even know me,” he snapped, this girl starting to really piss him off.

“True, I don’t. But she listened to your music for weeks and thought you might be a good guy.”

“Wait what?”

The girl gestured to the bench the purple haired girl had sat. “Yeah, she would sit over there and listen to you play while drawing.”

Sylvain’s eyes widen. “Hang on, you’re talking about her? The girl that sat there, purple hair? Short? Always in hoodies?”

“Uh yeah?” She blinked. “Ah, I see, you had no idea who I was talking about huh?”

“Where is she? The café you said right? Yeah, I’ll talk to her.” He knew he probably sounded like a crazy person but he couldn’t let this chance pass him by. He had a feeling if he didn’t grab it then he probably would never see her again.

The girl seemed taken aback by Sylvain’s sudden switch in attitude but she nodded. “Yeah, the one just down the street, on the corner. I’ll text her and let her know you’re coming.” Her expression darkened. “If you make her cry though, I’ll make sure you never play here again.”

Duly noted.

He hurried over the café and it was easy to spot the purple haired girl sitting at one of the outdoor tables, a drink in hand. She had not noticed him yet and Sylvain slowed to a stop, his heart pounding uncomfortably. By talking to her, it would change everything, they would technically not be strangers anymore. What if their personalities didn’t go well together? What if he was reading this whole thing wrong and she wanted to talk to him to tell him that she found him creepy or something?

Okay, perhaps not, but he couldn’t help but go through all the possibilities as he approached her table. She had her drawing tablet out and seemed to be in the middle of drawing a landscape. He felt bad to disturb her since she seemed so focused but just standing here, awkwardly was going to draw some unwanted stares.

“Uh, hi.”

She squeaked, her pen falling from her hand and clacking against the floor.

“Sorry for scaring you.” Sylvain bent down to pick up her pen at the same time she reached down as well, their fingers brushing for a moment before Sylvain quickly drew his hand back. “Sorry.”

She picked up her pen and sat upright while Sylvian stood, his face and neck probably turning red. Dang it, he was usually very smooth with girls and right now he was just a mess! After a quiet awkward moment he realized that neither of them had spoken up. “Your friend told me you wanted to talk?” 

“Oh, uh right…Yeah…” Her voice was softer than he was expecting, gentle even. She fiddled with her drawing pen. “I…I really like your music.”

“You do?” He inwardly winced at the telltale squeak at the edge of his words. Seriously, why was he getting so excited over something like that?

She nodded. “Yeah, it’s soulful. I can tell you put your heart into it.”

“Thank you, I think I’m an amateur when it comes to music though.”

“It adds something to your playing, at least that’s what I think.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

Another awkward beat passed. Sylvain held out a hand. “I’m Sylvain. You?”

“Bernie-Bernadetta I mean, but I usually go by Bernie.”

Bernie huh? He finally had a name to a face. “Well it was nice to meet you Bernie. I mean officially since you know, we’ve both been at that train station for a while.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” She gave him a soft, small smile. “Right, there was something else. Uh, you can sit, you don’t need to stand…”

“Oh, okay.” Sylvain sat down across from her, his guitar directly under him so he could keep an eye on it.

She fiddled with something on her drawing tablet and then turned it around so he could see. “I had to do a sketch drawing for class but since you were always there I took some time to do something…I mean if you don’t want me to have it I can delete it, it’s fine.”

Sylvain stared at her tablet in shock, not believing what he was seeing. It was a drawing of him. He was in mid-song, the details all there from the folds of his clothes to the sweep of his hair. And his expression! It was full of feeling, full of longing and need, something he didn’t realize he was portraying when he sang. And she had seen that and drawn him.

He looked up at her with wide eyes and saw her wilt slightly at his expression. “I’m sorry, I can delete it. I know it’s probably weird.”

“Don’t,” he said quickly as she went to take the tablet from him. “I mean, don’t delete it, if you don’t mind I would like a copy. If that’s okay. I mean I’m willing to pay for it too.”

“No, you don’t have to,” she said quickly. “I’ll just email it to you.” She took her tablet back and looked up at him nervously. “You aren’t mad?”

“Not at all, I’m flattered to be honest. So, uh, you were only at the train station doing a drawing for class?”

Thankfully Sylvain’s ability to hold a conversation didn’t leave him completely and he managed to coax a conversation about her. Bernie went to the famous art college in the city, her plan was to be an illustrator when she graduated. It was way better than Sylvain’s plan to follow in his father’s footsteps and take over the family business. She was surprised to find out he went to Garreg Mach, apparently she had visited a few times to draw the architecture. Apparently they could have ran into each other on campus and didn’t even know it! Sylvain was surprised how easy it was to talk to her, Bernie just had a way of making him lower his guards and he found himself sharing more about him as a person than he would have normally. He also found out a lot about her, about how she was an only child, her father incredibly overbearing and her love for stuffed animals and other cute things.

Realizing the sun was beginning to set, Sylvain checked his phone and winced. “Crap, I have to get going or I’m going to be late for my evening class.”

“Oh, sorry for keeping you.”

“It’s okay, really, this was a great conversation.” Sylvain stood and grabbed his guitar. “But uh, before I go…” He gestured to his phone. “Can I have your number? So we can talk more and stuff.” He glanced at her now cold and untouched drink. “Maybe we can get some coffee sometime?”

She looked down at her tablet and nodded. “Y…yeah, we can do that, uh, here’s my number.”

After putting her number in his phone he waved and hurried back towards his campus so he could drop off his guitar and get his stuff for class, a smile on his face and another song idea in his head.


End file.
